This invention concerns a floating element to assist the teaching of swimming, as Set forth in the main claim. To be more exact, the invention concerns a floating element of an inflatable type which can be fitted as desired to various parts of the body.
Owing to the various ways in which it can be used, the floating element according to the invention can be positioned as desired along the human body, so that the best position for floating can be selected to suit the person in question.
Moreover, the floating element according to the invention enables its user to alter the floating power of the floating element as desired and according to requirements.
The state of the art covers various floating elements which are employed while learning to swim or else as an aid for inexperienced swimmers, especially for children.
The most common floating elements are inflatable armlets, which are worn on both arms and help to keep inexpert swimmers afloat; but these armlets are not very practical nor suitable as teaching aids for swimming because their use does not permit floating positions very suitable for learning and because their application hampers the natural movement of the arms.
Floating boards are known with which it is possible to learn the correct movements of the lower part of the body and of breathing but not of the arms.
Furthermore, those boards are generally not fastened to their user, and it is possible to lose contact with, and engagement of, the boards, thus leading to sinking and resulting moments of fear for an inexpert user.
The state of the art includes also elements made in the form of pre-inflated water wings, which can generally be fitted to the back of users, but these latter elements, while they permit a correct floating position, do not enable the floating power to be changed to suit the state of learning of the user. Moreover, they cannot be deflated and are generally bulky and not very practical.
Inflatable floating elements are also known which can be fixed to the positioning belt removably by means of loops, pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, stitching or other means, but these floating elements entail the drawback that the belt comes into contact with the user's body and provides resistance to the expansion of the user's chest while breathing; this is the situation with FR-A-1.268.349 for instance.
Furthermore, the disclosure of that document entails further shortcomings such as the lack of security of the loops through which the belt passes; for the loops are fragile and the floating element can slide along the belt itself.
Moreover, the strap with these elements provides little stability against the floating element, which too possesses little stability in relation to the user's body.
The disclosure of DE-GM-A-7.733.466 involves the drawback of having only one single point of contact between the body of the user and the floating element; moreover, the floating elements can rotate and become positioned incorrectly.
The teaching of U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,072 is not workable since it hampers the natural expansion of the chest, and the rigid material causes unacceptable abrasions on a child's skin and also creates an uncoordinated thrust against the child's back.
The disclosures of U.S. Pat. No. 3,416,172 or GB-A-2,003,431 entail the same shortcomings as U.S. Pat. No. 3,425,072.